S.A.’s Haley will play Freddy Krueger

Yes, Haley, who makes his home in San Antonio, will play the monstrous Freddy Krueger in the remake of “A Nightmare on Elm Street.”

Word among his S.A. friends is that Haley, who has gotten singled out by film critics as the one to watch in “Watchmen,” is excited about the new opportunity, which could lead to a multiple movie franchise similar to the first “Elm Street.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Risky Biz Blog, director Samuel Bayer said this about his eagerness to have Haley play his vision of Krueger, the serial child killer who was murdered by angry parents and then terrorized teenagers in their nightmares:

“Looking at his performance in ‘Watchmen,’ here’s a guy playing a character under a mask yet you feel tremendous empathy for him.

“And in ‘Nightmare,’ he is going to be under prosthetic make-up. You have to feel something for the character. The greatest villains are multi-dimensional and I think he will bring that to the character.”

As for worries that the role would typecast Haley the way it did original Freddy actor, Robert Englund, Bayer said he didn’t foresee such a thing happening. “It’s what you bring to the material,” Bayer said of his interest in Haley. “He’s a well-rounded actor who will not be stereotyped by this. If anything, he’ll be celebrated for it.”

Filming of the screenplay from “Cape Fear” writer Wesley Strick is set for May in Chicago.

This year promises to be a busy one for Haley, who also is committed to the comic book TV series, “Human Target,” should the show be green lit by Fox for the fall schedule.